Looking back, skipping entrepreneurship when I had half a million was a missed opportunity. Real estate serves its purpose, sure—steady income, tangible assets. But here's the thing: if you're chasing serious wealth, properties alone won't cut it. They scale with inflation, nothing more. A real business? That grows exponentially, compounds annually, and builds something with actual appreciation potential.

The game changes when you own something that creates value beyond market cycles. Franchise model next time around feels like the logical move. Proven systems, scalable operations, recurring revenue. That's how you bridge from mid-range capital to generational wealth.